*AGT Season 11 Anticipation Thread*

[Drogo]

Discuss your hopes and dreams for Season 11 here!

[Wings]

When does this start?  I am looking forward to seeing Simon Cowell. 

[Drogo]

May 31st!

[SnarkyTart]

Simon Cowell for the win!

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I've been kind of keeping an eye out for reports of how Simon has been on auditions, but haven't had much luck.  Anyone seen anything?  I did see a picture of the jidges, and he was furthest left, and Howie was furthest right, where Howard had been.  Mel B was next to Howie.  I was thinking Mel would be best next to Simon as she has the standing to mess with him.  

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Just saw a preview commercial, and I'm pretty sure they focused on a former AI contestant (Sal Valentinetti from S14) for a second.

Sal was one of the last (maybe the last, last) true crooner audition that AI gave us. He quickly flamed out in Hollywood week. Usually AGT goes with an older contestant or two in that vein of singing...

Anyone following this season of Britain's Got Talent has probably seen Ben Blaque (a crossbow/danger act) who was on AGT a couple seasons ago, I'm always interested in seeing how many of the AGT acts are taking one more ride on the reality competition show carousel.

[Kromm]

On 5/7/2016 at 4:57 PM, SnarkyTart said:

Simon Cowell for the win!

I wonder if they'll even admit on air how involved he really was with the previous seasons. For the early ones, at least, he was often present off-camera, and even for the later ones, he saw tapes of almost everything.

The hilarious part of that was watching him on Britain's Got Talent seeing acts that had already appeared on America's Got Talent, or sometimes just acts that were direct copies of acts that had appeared on AGT, acting mock-surprised by them and making comments like "I've never seen anything like that!"

EDIT - Okay, from the promo I saw (the silence of the lambs silliness) it's clear they want to act like he's got no previous relationship with the show. At least for the duration of that joke.

EDIT2 - At least online, he admits straight up he's the producer: https://youtu.be/UNH_ge_J3kA and on this other video, Nick says straight out to the audience that Simon "started this whole thing": https://youtu.be/6iksOv06g4s . Perhaps they may still dodge how well he knows certain acts (remember that not only do acts go from the US to the UK show, but some come to the US show from overseas, and Simon I think usually knows about those--for example that Regurgitation guy was on France's Got Talent before he got on the US show)

So... no Americans on the panel, eh? Not that this is the first time (we had two Piers/Sharon/Howie seasons, after all). 

Edited May 11, 2016 by Kromm

[Kromm]

On 5/8/2016 at 3:04 AM, Lonesome Rhodes said:

I've been kind of keeping an eye out for reports of how Simon has been on auditions, but haven't had much luck.  Anyone seen anything?  I did see a picture of the jidges, and he was furthest left, and Howie was furthest right, where Howard had been.  Mel B was next to Howie.  I was thinking Mel would be best next to Simon as she has the standing to mess with him.  

I dunno. Heidi, for all that she's often a nitwit, also can have a sharp tongue. I think they want to see what happens when you put Simon next to her. That said, it sounds like they basically flipped the seating, and I don't get that. Although I don't know if you've described it the way I would. The way WE most often see the judges is from the front--seeing their faces--and by that view Howard was furthest left. Only from their own point of view (or from behind) was Howard furthest right.

Maybe it's as simple as Simon having a traditional seat on ALL of his shows, and this is it. That's the seat he's in on every show with him I've ever seen. He likes to talk last, and I think that's the seat where that's traditionally the easiest if they go left to right, from the POV of the person on the stage/the host.

[ketchuplover]

I can't wait for the next Taylor Swift.  

[marketdoctor]

Quote

Maybe it's as simple as Simon having a traditional seat on ALL of his shows, and this is it.

I think that's the case.  He'd had a good thing going with American Idol (possibly before that), and he tends to use what works.

I hope they downplay how unique the acts that have been on other shows are; otherwise it's like watching someone who not only JUGGLES but BOUNCES THE BALLS INSTEAD OF THROWING THEM UPWARD!  OMLOLOTFWondering how they did that!!!!!!!!

That said, I'm looking forward to Simon Cowell, because he often makes very good judgement about talent.  If there is another Taylor Swift out there, and they make it to the judging round, he'll find it.  Or he'll be distracted by the next Emily West, but that's OK, I liked her.  (Just let her sing; she didn't need distracting gimmicks.  If someone does, send them home instead.)

Good luck, Mr. Cowell; let's see what you've got.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Simon getting the last say on jidge's row is just being smart.  My issue was that Mel B would be far more confident and adept at snarking on him.  Supposedly, Heidi has risen to that challenge somewhat.  We'll soon see.

I am dismayed at some quotes of Simon I've read recently at how pleased he is that they have so many good singers this year.  Ugh.  This was the ONE dang show which could give us variety, and he wants to LCD everything down to singers he can, and will, sign.  This bodes very badly for this season, imo.

[Ohwell]

I'm not looking forward to a bunch of singers, especially kid singers.  Also, I'm not looking forward to "danger" acts where I have to peek through my fingers and feel uncomfortable watching them.

[ratgirlagogo]

5 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I'm not looking forward to a bunch of singers, especially kid singers

Singers and kids - the two most disposable categories on this show.  I love the circus acts but I'm afraid Simon Cowell makes this season a no-go  for me.  I'll watch this thread to see if you all think there's an act I should tune in for, but......

Edited May 30, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[Ohwell]

I don't mind cute animal acts, like those dogs that won a few years ago.  I also would like to see more comedians.

I'll watch the first couple of episodes, then decide if I'll watch anymore.

[marketdoctor]

From USA Today on Simon Cowell:

Quote

While Talent features comics, acrobats, ventriloquists (including Season 10 champ Paul Zerdin) and hard-to-define acts, Cowell says more singers applied this season, and he hopes to generate stars along the lines of Fifth Harmony, One Direction (assembled on the U.K.'s X Factor) and Susan Boyle (Britain’s Got Talent).

How many of those singers get on TV is a question for tonight.  If they're kids, my fast-forward reflex will be in place, even though I wish them luck.